New lives and Loves
by cedric dursley
Summary: Gegory Goyle, Lavender Brown, Theodore Nott, Susan Bones, Dudley Dursley, and Cho Chang leave Englanf for New York City and become close friends.
1. Chapter 1

New lives and loves

Cedric Dursley

Chapter 1-Goyle and Lavender

Two days after the final against Lord Voldemort Gregory Goyle felt both relieved and nervous. He was relieved that the war was finally over even though he was on the losing side, and nervous because he was sure that he was wanted by the ministry for siding with the Dark Lord, even though he was not involved in the final battle. Gregory didn't want to return home since there was no one there. His father was in ministry custody awaiting trial and his mother had disappeared sometime during the year. He needed to visit Diagon Alley to visit his personal vault that was opened after his grandmother passed away and also buy a new wand since his was ruined in the fire in the Room of Requirement. He also hoped that Tom the bartender at the Leaky Cauldron would rent him a room.

When Gregory arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, he asked Tom to open the portal to Diagon Alley and Tom reluctantly rented him a room and let him into Diagon Alley. The first place he went was Gringotts to withdraw some money. While he was there, he received some good news. The newly reorganized Ministry of Magic was not going to arrest any Hogwarts students for death eater activity.

After he left Gringotts, He went to Ollivander's Wands to buy a new wand. He was concerned that Mr. Ollivander would not sell to him because of everything that happened during the war. When he arrived at Ollivander's shop, Ollivander was not in the front.

He called out; "Mr. Ollivander, are you open?"

Ollivander answered, "Yes, I'm in the back. I'll be out in just a second."

When Mr. Ollivander came out and saw who was there, He froze for a moment. And then he uttered, "Oh it's you. I assume you need a new wand. Well, I suppose I can sell you one, even though your family was involved with He Who Must Not Be Named. Well, let's get started"

Twenty minutes later, Gregory left Ollivander's shop with a Twelve inch Mahogany wand with a unicorn hair core. He then went back to the Leaky Cauldron and ordered lunch. Gregory sat down near one of his fellow classmates, Lavender Brown. She still had much of her looks, except for a long scar that ran down her face. She also had a hardened look on her face that was only seen on grizzled old war veterans. After a few moments Lavender softly spoke.

"I know who you are. Go ahead start with the jokes about my face. I can take it. After all, I did survive the last battle against your Dark Lord. If I can live with these hideous scars on my face, I can take anything."

Gregory's replied in an unusually soft voice, "Miss Brown, I have done a great many things that I am not proud of, but beating a person when they are down is not one of them. If you like, we could have dinner together some time. I am trying to change. One of those changes is to try to be a better person. I can tell you it is not an easy change to make. So, do we have a date?'

After a brief pause Lavender looked at Goyle's face and saw that he was sincere. They continued talking for three hours straight until she realized she had an appointment with a mind healer the next day to help her cope with her experiences from the war.

The two of them continued to see each other over the next few days and began to realize that there was an attraction between them. Gregory knew he needed to find work, but because of his family's allegiance during the last war, he was unable to find work. He talked to Lavender about this problem and she thought of a perfect solution. They could move out of England for a few years until the Ministry improved for the better. The only thing that was up in the air is where to move. They finally decided on New York because of a large magical population there and it just sounded like fun to live there. So the two of them decided to move right after the award ceremony and memorial service scheduled in two weeks. They had to attend the award ceremony because lavender was to be awarded the Order of Merlin third class for her bravery in the final battle. One other decision they made was not to live together because neither one felt that they were ready for that strong a commitment.

The next day, Gregory and Lavender ran into Theodore Nott and Susan Bones at the Ministry of Magic and they began talking. It turned out that Nott and Susan Bones were dating and they also had plans to move to New York at the same time. So they all decided keep in touch after they moved.

Nott was to receive the Order of Merlin first class for saving the life of Kingsley Shacklebolt during the final battle by taking out his own father. The elder Nott was killed in the final battle and Nott just wanted to leave the country for a while. Susan was going to move to New York because Cho Chang was moving there as well with her muggle boyfriend, Dudley Dursley.

Gregory and Lavender finally received confirmation that the move was approved by the Ministry of Magic and the American Magic Congress so the plans to move were begun. They were both relieved and nervous about the move. Gregory was going to stay in the same apartment that Dudley and Nott had rented so they would try to get along. Lavender, Cho, and Susan were also going to share an apartment nearby. Gregory was in for a bit of a shock because he had never lived with a muggle before and he was not sure what to expect.

On the day of the move, Gregory met Lavender, Nott, Susan, Dudley, and Cho at the airport. They all decided that because Dudley didn't have any magic, they would all fly to New York the muggle way, by plane. Dudley told everyone that his father had bought a bar for him and he invited his new friends to assist him in running it. They agreed but only if they could buy a share in the bar and run it as a partnership. And so the friendship of Dudley Dursley, Theodore Nott, and Gregory Goyle had begun.


	2. Chapter 2

New Lives and Loves

By Cedric Dursley

Chapter 2

Nott and Bones

**A/N: This is my third attempt at this story. My first two attempts fell a little short of my expectations and so I am trying one last time. They say the third times a charm and I hope they are right. J. K. Rowlings owns all Harry Potter characters within the series. I am just taking them for a test drive.**

Two weeks after the final battle, Theodore Nott was sitting in the living room of his home alone. He was thinking about the role he played in that battle. He was the only Slytherin who fought on the light side and in fact, he saved Kingsley Shacklebolt's life when he threw a Reducto Curse at his own father. His father was killed because of this curse but Theodore didn't care. He had never had much of a relationship with the elder Nott to begin with. Theodore's father never wanted him in the first place. His mother had died when he first started Hogwarts and after her death, he was cared for by their house elf, Dotty.

For some reason, Theodore was thinking about his childhood friend and next door neighbor Susan Bones. The two of them were real close until Theodore was sorted in Slytherin. After that, Susan became distant. Theodore thought it was because of the sorting. He was never the typical Slytherin because he was not a death eater in training like Malfoy, but had his own thoughts. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door.

"Theo, it is Susan. Are you okay? I saw what happened during the battle and I just wanted to make sure you okay with what happened."

Theodore rose up from the chair he was sitting in and answered the door. "Hi Sue. I'm fine. Come in please."

Susan entered the drab house. She always thought that the house could use a little more color. She then began to talk to Theodore.

"Theo, I heard that Minister pro-tem Shacklebolt is going to award you with the Order of Merlin first class for saving his life. Is this true?"

"Yes it is Sue. I will be receiving the award along with Potter, Weasley, Weasley's Mum, Granger, and Longbottom. I also heard that Professor Snape will receive one posthumously because he was working with the Order of the Phoenix even after he killed Dumbledore. I heard that the killing was ordered by Dumbledore himself."

"That's true Theo. Everything that Snape did was done on orders from Professor Dumbledore. He did everything he could to protect our fellow students from the Carrows. We just didn't know this information at the time. He had to keep his true loyalties hidden because of the death eaters in the castle."

Theodore thought for one second and then asked, "Sue would like to go out for dinner? I need to get out of here for a while and I don't want to be alone. We can catch up on old times."

"Theo, are you asking me out on a date? If you are then I accept. I know I was acting like a spoiled brat for the last seven years and I apologize. Just give me a few minutes to get ready and then we can go."

Twenty minutes later Theodore and Susan were at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade having a meal and conversion. Theodore talked about his feelings of isolation while in Slytherin and what he was going to do after the award ceremony. He then asked Susan if she would accompany him to the ceremony and she accepted. Susan told Theodore that her friend Lavender Brown was planning to move to New York with her new boyfriend. He thought about that and asked her who that boyfriend was. When he learned that it was Gregory Goyle he was surprised. Susan then explained that Goyle was a changed person after the last battle and was actuality a decent person once he was away from Malfoy's influence. Susan then explained that lavender and Cho Chang were staying with her since her aunt was murdered by death eaters. Theodore was thinking and asked Susan if she was moving to New York as well. She said yes and asked why he wanted to know. He replied that he would like to move there as well for a while. Maybe he could room with Goyle if he also agreed. Susan thought this was a good plan.

Five days after their first date Theodore was dressed in his finest dress robes waiting for Susan to dress. They were going to Hogwarts so Theodore could receive his Order of Merlin award. They then apperated to the outer gates of the school because that was where the award ceremony was to be held. Susan was with the other awardees because she was to receive the Order of Merlin second class for her actions in the final battle. To Theodore, it seemed that nearly everyone attending was receiving an award of some form. After everyone had settled Minister Shacklebolt began the ceremony.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to recognize the heroic efforts of several people whose courage cannot be underestimated. First I would like to recognize a man who had to hide his true loyalties from the former Dark Lord. What is not known to the public is that he was fighting Tom Riddle from the beginning. He posed as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix at great personal risk because of a woman that he loved. His final act was to give Harry Potter the final piece of information so that Riddle was defeated for good. Ladies and gentlemen I am pleased and proud to posthumously award the Order of Merlin first class to the late Severus Snape."

As Snape's name was called there was a light applause because many in the audience were not sure how they felt about Snape. Some still he was a traitor to the ministry. Kingsley continued.

"The next awardee has seen his share of sorrow during his life. He did not live with his parents because they were tortured by death eaters several days after Riddle disappeared. He was raised by his grandmother who wasn't even sure that he was a wizard. After he received his letter from Hogwarts however he began to stand out among his peers. His courage began to show during his fifth year when he and several of his fellow students tried to rescue Harry's godfather, Serious Black, at the ministry of magic. This courage reached its peak during the last year here at Hogwarts. He defied the death eaters time and time again with no thought of his own safety. He took over the leadership of the resistance while Harry and his friends were out of school on a mission that brought the end of Voldemort. He also helped take the lead during the final battle along with Harry and others and even when threatened, refused to bow before Voldemort. Instead he cut the head off Voldemort's familiar so Harry could finally defeat Voldemort. Ladies and gentlemen I award with pride the Order of Merlin first class to Neville Longbottom."

When Neville's name was announced, the audience erupted in applause that lasted for over two minutes. After the applause died down Neville spoke.

"Thank you Minister Shacklebolt. Ladies and gentlemen, I still don't think of myself of as a hero. I simply did what had to be done. No one assigned me the role of resistance leader. And I was not alone in this. Ginny Weasley, Shamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, lavender Brown, and Luna Lovegood also assisted me in resisting the death eaters here. I only killed Voldemort's snake because Harry asked me to. As far as my defiance, I would never accept the rule of a corrupt person like Voldemort. Now that he is gone forever, maybe we can make changes for the better. Thank you all for this honor."

As Neville left the stage and looked in the audience, he saw his grandmother with a proud look on her face. Then Minister Shacklebolt continued.

"By all accounts, the next awardee should not be here. He is the only member of Slytherin house who fought against the death eaters even though his father was a death eater. He had the courage and compassion to defy his father and other death eaters and defend Hogwarts from the death eater menace. He saved my life by fighting his own father, killing him in the process. Ladies and gentlemen I am proud to award the Order of Merlin First Class to Theodore Nott."

Theodore glanced at Susan and saw her applauding and smiling. He then proudly rose up and walked to accept his award with pride.

"Thank you Minister Shacklebolt. What I did was done because it was the right thing to do. I never subscribed to my father's belief of blood superiority. While I was at Hogwarts during my last year, I saw many wrongs committed simply because of the house that certain people were in. The Carrows were cruel to anyone that did not see the world the way they did. I covertly tried to help anyone I could. I enlisted several members of Slytherin house to assist me in this endeavor. We avoided as many of the junior death eaters that we could and assisted many of our fellow students. When the final battle began, I was the only Slytherin student who decided to stay behind and fight. When I saw my father battling Minister Shacklebolt, I did the only thing that I could think of and that was to assist. I never intended to kill my father but the spell I cast was too strong to avoid. I will be leaving England with a few of my friends in a few days so I can clear my head. Once again, thank you for this award."

After Theodore left the stage, Kingsley continued.

"Our next awardee is one of the most heroic women I have had the pleasure to have known. To most, she is a simple housewife and mother but she is much more than that. She has shown more courage than anyone else I know. She fought one of the cruelest of all the death eaters, Bellatrix leStrange and killed in one shot. Ladies and gentlemen I present the Order of Merlin first Class to Molly Weasley."

The applause was deafening as Mrs. Weasley approached the dais to accept her reward.

"Thank you Kingsley. I am not a hero. I am simply an overprotective mother defending her children. Any mother would have done the same thing as I did. All I did was put down a rabid dog. LeStrange deserved no better then what she got. She was an evil woman who delighted in torturing innocent victims just to satisfy her twisted ideals. She was V-Vol-Voldemorts top supporters and was as twisted and evil as he was. Thank you once again for this award."

As Molly went back to her seat, she noticed the tears running down Arthur's face. She knew then that he truly loved her. As she sat down, Kingsley continued.

"The last three awardees really need no introductions. They risked their lives to defeat Voldemort. I decided to award their Order of Merlin award to all three of them together because I cannot imagine the three of them apart. They are the three bravest students I have ever seen. Ladies and gentlemen it is my honor to proudly present the Order of Merlin First Class to Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter."

The applause was so loud that legend says that it was heard all the way in London. In any case, the applause lasted at least ten minutes. When it finally died down the trio began their speeches. Hermione started.

"Thank you minister. When we began this quest, we had no idea where to begin. As many of you now know, Voldemort had several horcruxes hidden. Before Harry could defeat him, they had to all be destroyed. This was primarily Harry's mission but Ron and I decided to assist him. Ron is a brilliant tactician who seems to know his way around the battle field." Ron interjected, 'That may be true but you are considered the most intelligent witch in a generation." Hermione continued, "So there was no doubt that we were going to assist Harry in his personal mission. We both considered it our job to assist him in every way possible. "

Ron continued, "We had a little problem after we found Slytherin's locket because whenever any of us wore it, it tried to possess us. This caused a rift within the three of us so I left. We reunited shortly after Christmas. After we were captured by snatchers, we were taken to Malfoy Manor and held prisoner. It was there we learned where one of the final two horcruxes was hidden. I will let Harry finish."

Harry then began his part of the tale.

"We escaped from Malfoy Manor with several prisoners including a goblin named Griphook. I persuaded him to assist us in breaking into Gringotts to obtain one of the horcruxes. This one was held in the LeStrange vault so we needed help to break in. After we obtained the horcrux, I used my connection with Moldyshorts and found out that the last one was at Hogwarts. We found a way in with the help of Alberforce Dumbledore and made our way in. We finally destroyed the two horcruxes when the battle started. During the lull I found Professor Snape dying in the Shrieking Shack and he gave me the key to victory. The last thing I needed to do is sacrifice myself so he could finally become mortal. It turned out that I held a horcrux in my scar that needed to be destroyed and the killing curse that was cast did that. Neville killing the snake was the final nail that assured that I would need. Minister Shacklebolt, the three of us proudly accept this great honor that you bestow on us." Hermione and Ron nodded in ascent.

Harry Ron and Hermione then left. Minister Shacklebolt then concluded the program by announcing that refreshments are being served in what was left of the Great Hall and was supplied by the house elves of Hogwarts. Theodore and Susan then left to pack for their moveto New York.


End file.
